 |
The owner of Osteria Leana in Oyster Bay used a $3,000 grant from the Oyster Bay Main Street Association to help lure customers to his restaurant on South Street in Oyster Bay. Wednesday, July 13, 2016 Photo Credit: Howard Schnapp
Originally printed in Newsday
The restaurant opened May 23 in the former location of the Oyster Bay Brewing Company, which faces a parking lot behind South Street and Audrey Avenue. “We’re not in the best area; we’re not on Main Street,” Van Der Mije said. The red brick storefront with black awnings and gooseneck lighting used a $3,000 grant from the nonprofit Oyster Bay Main Street Association that requires recipients to adhere to aesthetic choices intended to maintain the historic character of the hamlet and promote visual cohesion. “For our style restaurant the best thing was a simple, elegant design, but also it had to be functional,” Van Der Mije said. “First and foremost we wanted something to be classy, something timeless, but also portrayed a little bit of the sense of Oyster Bay.” The grant program, which began in 2012, has expanded and with it the fundraising needs have grown, too. This year the sign and improvement program increased its award to up to $3,000 from $2,000. The business must cover at least 25 percent of the cost of the sign and facade improvements. Meredith Maus, executive director of the association, said its fundraising campaign has increased its goal for next year to $15,000 from $10,000. To receive a grant, businesses must submit plans to the association to be approved by the group’s design committee. The association awards four or five grants a year on a first-come, first-served basis. A 12-page design guide calls for things like the restoration of architectural elements and use of natural materials and choices that are in keeping with buildings’ style and history. “We want a cohesiveness throughout the downtown,” Maus said. “We like the general look and feel to be one of a historic hamlet.” Ryan Schlotter, co-owner of the Oyster Bay Brewing Company on Audrey Avenue, said the grants make it easier for businesses to invest in better signage. The brewery was allotted a $3,000 grant for its signage and facade at its new location, where it opened in February. “Signage might be the last place some places will spend money,” Schlotter said. For their new location, the brewery went “for that Nantucket kind of city-by-the-sea kind of look.” Schlotter said he sees the cumulative impact of the program on the hamlet. “You can see when you walk up and down the street the signs are a step above what most places do in other towns; it adds to it and makes the whole street look really nice,” Schlotter said. Oyster Bay Councilman Chris Coschignano said discussions are ongoing within the planning and development department about creating an overlay district that would incorporate some of the aesthetic choices promoted by the association “to enhance what they’re doing now and maybe expand it and give them some help.” “We like what they’re doing and the town definitely wants to do more,” Coschignano said.
- - -
To help us continue this positive momentum in the downtown, please consider contributing to our fundraising campaign: http://www.oysterbaymainstreet.org/fundraising-initiatives.html |
Given its location on the North Shore, the hamlet of Oyster Bay -- on Oyster Bay Harbor -- is sheltered from through-traffic. "What I love about Oyster Bay is it's quiet. . . . There's no hum of the LIE," says resident Marilyn Fox of Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty. Yet everything one needs is nearby, she adds.
The area's waterfront and historic landmarks attract tourists. Museums such as the Earle-Wightman House on Summit Street and Raynham Hall on West Main Street offer a glance of life as it was in the 18th and 19th centuries
The area's biggest draw is President Theodore Roosevelt's home, Sagamore Hill in Cove Neck, which served as the summer White House beginning in 1901. (The home is closed for rehabilitation, but the visitor center, museum and grounds are open.) Another popular attraction is the WaterFront Center, offering watercraft rentals, sailing lessons and marine environmental education.
Vintage buildings housing shops, eateries, pubs and offices, as well as a senior center and Town of Oyster Bay offices, make up the heart of the business district. Billy Joel's motorcycle collection, 20th Century Cycles, is here, too.
The downtown has received a face-lift -- a collaborative effort of volunteer community groups, including the Oyster Bay Main Street Association and government. "Our whole goal is to revitalize the downtown," says Meredith Maus, the association's executive director.
Homes styles, ages and property sizes are varied. Carol Gannon of Douglas Elliman Real Estate says many home buyers discover the hamlet during the annual Oyster Festival in October. "We always get a burst after the Oyster Festival," she says.
CO-OPS, CONDOS AND TOWN HOUSES 16 listings, $99,900 to $765,000
RENTALS start at about $1,300 a month, Gannon says.
SALES PRICES From Sept. 1, 2013, to Oct. 20, 2014, there were 50 sales with a median price of $547,500, according to Multiple Listing Service of Long Island data. The low price was $210,000 and the high was $1,699,999. From 2012 to 2013, during the same period, there were 52 sales. The median price was $531,750, with a low of $180,000 and a high of $1,200,000.
MORE OYSTER BAY STATS
Town: Oyster Bay
Area: 1.2 square miles
ZIP code: 11771
Population: 6,707
Median age: 45
Median household income: $82,528
Median home value: $571,500*
LIRR time to NYC: From Syosset, 44 minutes to 59 minutes at peak
Monthly ticket: $276
